la bam

Gig days I always have a large dinner, then a small tea. This works well for me, and if you need something after, then theres no harm done, it's not like having 3 big meals.

Magic!! Cheers all, I'll get a set on order!

Hi all, I'm die to replace the strings on my yamaha bb424. It is still fitted with the strings it came with. The thing is I love these strings, but don't know what they are. Can any help me find out what strings these basses come fitted with when new? Thanks.

as above - that's the way I do it when mixing our bands. Bit, a genuine question, how do you do it for the singer (eq wise as stated) when they're the last to be added to the mix? - genuine question - do you then go back down and eq everything else once happy with the singer?

If I remember correctly, the 'off' position for these isn't obvious. Have a look at the manual to see where is off and where the dials start to take effect.

Gorilla amp with added crunch....and crackle when it kept cutting out.

My first private gigs (x3 of them) were: Fender USA Precision. Zoom multi fx. NO AMP! I somehow took an out from the zoom, into the desk, then went through the pa. to hear myself i stood right next to the main pa speakers! First public gig in a pub was: Fender Precision USA. Zoom multi fx. Trace Elliot Commando 12. I think my back up bass was a Westone Quantam headless bass.

I spent years in band where everything was the standard drums, bass, guitars, vocals, and everything was done live. I was always against backing tracks etc. I am now in a band doing dance covers and we are using click tracks, samples and triggers, and its completely changed my mind! Triggering samples does take skill, firstly to get a sample to fit, then work out what time to play it, and play it in time is trickier than it looks. We also have a self made track in the background that contains effects that are impossible to do live, so we have to play to the track in a full band set up (drums, bass, keys, vocals), so that the fx come in at the correct place. Its a lot harder than you'd think, and very unforgiving if you get it wrong! I also use different bass sounds throughout, from vintage sounds, to modern treble sounds, to synth sounds and detuned sub octave sounds with distortion, and that is very confusing playing wise regarding the attack and decay of the sounds. Ie some are much more responsive and take more controlling. It adds a lot to the performance, but allows us to play a genre of music we wouldn't be able to do justice in a standard set up. The trick is to do enough and show enough playing so that the audience doesn't question whether or not it is an issue.

For me its: Yamaha bb424x. Zoom B3. Ashdown ABM evo ii 500 15 combo. Ashdown ABM 2x10 ext cab. Pretty much get any sound I like out of that. I run the bass pretty neutral, the amp set on its flat eq with the valve drive on, and any adjustments and effects on the b3.

For me rehersal should be something you really look forward to. The challenge of learning new songs, getting all the dynamics in, getting right and having a laugh. Once band members say they don't want to reherse I get worried that it's all about to collapse, and cant understand why they wouldn't want to reherse.

I've used that exact same rig. Loved it. It isn't loud, it's ridiculously loud for its size and weight. I never got anywhere near half way on the volume dial. But....I can't see it doing the likes of the stage at butlins etc. I found it a very directional sound. It certainly wasn't a stage filler, even though it was loud when you were near it. Pubs and small clubs, yes, but anything bigger and you could be in trouble. Its also difficult to hear as its only really knee height and slim.

On a serious note, ring your PLI company and ask the statement direct. "If i dont have any equipment PAT tested at all and it is proven that my equipment is the cause of a fatality or serious accident or damage by electrical fault, will i still be covered?" Insist you get a "yes" or "no" answer. If its a "yes you will still be covered" ask for it in writing. Then youve no need at all to have PAT. Apart from when a venue asks for it .....

Yeh, weasel words ..... its not like insurance companies to try and weasel out of paying out is it? Do what you want. Its upto you. Its not me youll need to convince should anything happen. For the sake of a few pints, myself, as well as others on here, are covered, kit is covered, insured, as is the public, and it allows us into almost any venue. PS - to the OP - make sure your PLI is £10m or youll struggle to get in a lot of venues, especially hotels if you want to go down that route..

I know this is a thread about PAT but people need to be educated on these 2 vital aspects that go hand in hand. A genuine piece of advise - if you have PLI go and check your PLI policy. I'd be very surprised if your policy is valid if you can't provide evidence of PAT testing should you need to claim. Thats the part you're missing. Even though PAT isnt a LEGAL requirement, it may be a requirement of your PLI policy. If in doubt ring them and ask for a concrete answer. So in theory, should the worst happen, you have no PAT and no Insurance - thats not a good position to be in. The just buying labels and pretending to have PAT is fraud and youll easily be caught out. Have a look at a genuine PAT certificate - it contains a lot more information than 'passed'. Would you be able to provide the required information if needed/scrutinized?

Theres lots of examples. Just think of house much it would cost to repair a hotel if your kit set it on fire. Repair bills, labour, lost income. Can you afford these repairs out of your own pocket? Do you think a venue is going to pay for you if the investigation proves your kit was to blame? No. They're going to come after you. Granted there now should be trip switches etc at venues, to prevent major damage, but I've seen some shoddy venues. For the sake of £100 a year youre crazy not to be covered.

PAT is there to show you have tested your equipment within the last 12 months. It does not guarantee safety. As with a car mot your car can be fine after the mot then breakdown 2 weeks later. That is when taking good care of kit and regular checks come into play. Yes, PAT is not a legal requirement, BUT one big thing missing here is that if you have PLI and no PAT (or dodgy PAT) this can invalidate your PLI insurance, leaving you vunerable to potentially millions in damages, or even jail, should the worst happen. For the sake of a few quid every year (it isn't much split between a band), pat test your kit, get pli and be safe.

I have a b3 (not this new one) and love it. I love the b3 layout though - where it looks like each individual pedal and controls. Im not too sure about the new ones layout. A 7 screen one (if its using 7 combined effects) would be brilliant, 3 might be a bit confusing? All that said, if youre looking for a multi effects at a great price, these will be great!

Unfortunately the word charity has changed over the past 5-10 years. A lot of charities now are not what you think. Only a small percentage of monies raised goes to the charity once all other fees have been deducted - venue hire, bar staff, wages etc. They are run more like a business where costs are met first then excess goes to the charity. In certain cases this could be a very low percentage. This is completely the opposite of the perception of charity where everyone does their part for free in order for the cause. It might be best to find out how this one operates. If you still want to contribute you may be better playing a pub gig and giving all your gig money directly to the charity.

My take on it is: You have to be loud enough to be able to create good dynamics and a good sound. Many guitarists cant get a good sound quietly because their amp is too powerful and at normal volume they are just not driving it at all. 15-30w is fine for a valve amp, not 100w! We always try to rehearse as its a gig. Nice and tight, but good stage volume, but balanced. Good eq and frequency coverage means you don't have to go too loud. If we are comfortable there, we should be fine at almost any backline area. Everything apart from that can go out the front. I also have split our backline, so we all have a speaker for each instrument at each side of the drums. Not in the monitors, but as backline. This means we all dont have to be blisteringly loud to be heard and theres no interference in the monitors for the singer. It also gives an even spread out front for intimate gigs.

I have a pedal train and its great. They also come with a bag. Personally id probably see it before buying as the amount of bars and width you need will depend on your pedal dimensions and routing. Very lightweight and solid though.

Ive got a zoom b3 and in all honesty its absolutely brilliant. For the money i think its crazy value for money. Its very easy to use, and i love how it can be used as 3 effects boxes at once. The amp modelling is superb without sounding different for the sake of it. The effects are very good and have plenty of scope for adjustment. In a loud live environment everything works great and sounds great. Throw in a looper and tuner, and for the money its unbeatable.

The 2 main things for me are... 1. Where are the mainstream guitar bands for the younger generation to aspire to emulate? 2. Without a Top of the Pops style mainstream weekly music show on the bbc no one over 25 has an inkling of what's in the charts or popular, so you've got the biggest divide ever of what is going on musically. Also this means the over 25s are less likely to buy current music and affect what is in the charts. So the chart is very youth orientated, and the people running the venues very older generation orientated.

Not so many for me. Usually average about 2 per band I'm in. In order of owning. 1. 60w gorilla guitar amp. (starting out). 2. Carlsbro Stingray amp head and 15 cab. (for my first band with friends). 3. PA system. Tek cabs and studiomaster powered mixer. I used to stand behind the pa and listen for my bass through the back of the speakers as I couldnt afford an amp and having a pa got me in the band! 4. Trace Elliot commando combo. Great unit for my first good band. Heavy, but reliable and had a decent enough sound no matter what eq you dialled in - great as I didn't know what I was doing back then. 5.Ashdown mag 300 and 4x10 deep cab. I never liked the sound, but the band loved it. 6. Ashdown Superfly and 1x15 mini and 4x8 mini cabs. Really under powered. Not impressed at all. Also you couldnt turn the compression off and it hissed. 7. Line 6 lowdown 300. Decent enough, but in all honesty only small backline sound. 8. Mark bass lm3 and 210 traveller. Lovely little set up. Expensive though. 9. Genz Benz 500 combo - nowhere near the volume of the mark bass and a real synthetic unwarm sound. 10. Ashdown abm 500 evo 2 15 combo and 2x10 ext cab. Love it. Lightweight for what it is and great sound and loads of headroom.

Some great stories there! I love the fact that they still have the passion and drive to gig for the love of playing!

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1483965340' post='3211424'] What does talent have to do with being or becoming famous? For me the whole point of being able to make a living out of writing and playing the music I liked, would be so I didn't have to waste my time doing other things in order to put food on the table or keep a roof over my head. I still wouldn't have time for side projects (ignoring the fact that IMO they dilute what you really should be doing) because I'd be too busy creating and preforming the music I want to do with my band. [/quote] I suppose the 'talent' v 'fame' is another topic! What I'm getting at is say being for example Steve vai. Now he's famous is he only ever going to be allowed to gig what he's famous for on big stages a few gigs every other year, or would he love to be playing guitar in a covers band, playing classics and getting that gig buzz. Just because people have made it big, doesn't necessarily mean that they wouldn't want to have a blast playing classics for the love of playing, rather than being sat around not gigging.