peteb

That makes sense about putting the HPF after the compressor. With my rig, it would have to go before the DI, which is OK with me. You seem to have more faith in the guy doing HOF than I often have! I like as much control with what goes to the desk as possible, as you never know if the engineer is any good or not...!

I'm thinking of adding a HPF to my set-up to free up some headroom on my amp and control a bit of the boom you occasionally get in some venues. I assume that a LPF would help with that? If I get one, should I put it before or after the compressor. I'm afraid that haven't waded through all 19 pages of this thread, but has anybody used a Sine Effect H24 HPF pedal and is it any good? Or would I be better looking for a micro-thumpinator second hand?

Surely the idea is that we are all supposed to be musicians here??

Has anyone tried any of the Caveman Bass Preamps, rack unit or the more compact pedals?? I must admit that I am a bit curious about them...

It is pretty standard fusion stuff, with really good playing but nothing to make it great. As with any album that is driven by pieces of music as opposed to 'songs' , it has to be exceptional to warrant a second listen and this isn't 'Spectrum', 'There & Back', 'Surfing With the Alien' or 'Race with Devil on Spanish Highway'. A pretty cool effort but nowhere near exceptional enough to transcend what is a very niche genre.

I use these for the wireless transmitter on my straps https://www.thomann.de/gb/thomann_wireless_holder.htm

A double header for the Zep tribute this weekend. First up was a gig in St Helens on Friday. A slightly strange venue, a very small theatre with a seated dress circle and a decent sized stage. We were a bit rusty and had one of our old keyboard players depping (who was good), but not a bad gig. Quite a reasonable crowd in the end, despite initially slow ticket sales, so all in all a pretty good night. Saturday night was at the Cluny in Newcastle, one of our favourite venues. We had Phil Manchester (aka Didge Digital from FM) depping on keys and a big step up by the band from the night before in terms of performance. A packed crowd who were great (as they always are in Newcastle), a top performance and a decent payday. A 100 mile drive home (for me, longer for some of the rest of the band), but an awesome gig…!

I broke my own rule last week and bought something from the BD website without ringing them up. I normally like to speak to someone to check the item is in stock and that it is exactly what I'm looking for, but it was a generic tool and back in stock (they didn't have it when I was last in the shop) and I was too busy to chat on the phone, so I ordered it online. I placed the order on Monday afternoon and it arrived on Wednesday morning.

I always loved mid-period U2 and I am always bemused at the hate they get from some people (especially that directed at Bono – a rock and roll star with an ego, who would have thought) despite being one of the best loved bands ever. I remember going to see that IMAX film of them playing to a ridiculously huge audience somewhere in South America, just a brilliant gig. A mate of mine who didn’t like them was dragged along by his then girlfriend – even he had to admit they had just one massive anthem after another and a connection with a crowd that hardly any other band has been able to manage. No offence to bands like Tool, but there is no way they could pull a gig off on that scale and with that reach to such a diverse audience. The trouble is that on the evidence of that clip is that they’re finished, no matter how good the visuals are. Bono’s voice has gone and so has the energy they used to have. They are reduced to mega money gigs in Vegas to play to people who, like you said, just want to be able to say that they’ve seen them. A sad end to a great band.

At least he didn't try to sing out of tune scat vocals along to his bassline!

To use @BigRedX's headings: As a musician: I've been gigging since I've been sixteen and the thing is that I like to play live. When I was a kid it was all about being in original bands, but since I turned 30 or so (a long time ago) I've played in original bands (recording a few albums), many covers bands and more recently, a couple of really good tributes. I the band is good, playing decent music and there is an audience then I don't really care what category the band is. The one exception is that I wouldn't rehearse up an original band to play pubs or other small gigs. You have to appreciate that it isn't the 80s / 90s anymore and you are not going to fill a club unless you have really made a big splash, whereas 30 years ago you would have done. I've been on albums that have had licensing / distribution deals (mainly with German labels for some reason) and sold a few copies, but there was no suggestion that the band was going to rehearse and play live unless it was offered a genre specific festival or support. As an audience member: I will go and support live music and go and see bands whenever possible. My expectations are different depending on the type of band. If I go and see an original band, I'm happy to travel and pay for a ticket, but I expect them to offer a good package and be good live - expectations are high. When you go to see a tribute band, you know that you will like the music and you expect to pay and the band to be of a good standard. Watching a covers band in a pub is a different thing, where they are part of a night out when you are meeting friends and you're probably going to have a few beers. I still expect them to be decent and hear songs that I know, ideally with just a few that I'm not so familiar with. As a composer: I'm not really a composer, although I have co-written a fair few songs in the past. It doesn't bother me if I haven't written the material, I'm just the bass player and I want to play decent material live.

Let's not get into the bass players hating on Jaco thing on Basschat now. He is probably the most famous 'virtuoso' bass player and at his best he was astounding (whether you liked that type of music or not). When the drugs and mental illness kicked in, he could often be unlistenable. The guy has been dead for 35 years now and whether he played anything other than a 4 string is hardly relevant to this thread. Let's face it, there were not too many 5 strings around when he was in his pomp. If he had lived and stayed healthy, it's quite likely that he would have also played 5 / 6 string basses.

But Jaco's nephew (David Pastorius) is another top pro bass player - playing around Florida with Pat Travers, Eric Gales and touring with Carl Palmer (among others). He seems quite happy with just 4 strings!

Personally, I'm completely the opposite. I find it much easier to play a 4 string and I'm much more fluent playing one. I am using a 4 string bass for all of my current gigs. However, I was once up for a gig that involved playing songs that had obviously been recorded on a 5 and the guy (understandably) wanted me to play pretty much what was on the album. It was a real struggle to try and play them on a 4. I went out and bought a decent 5 string straight away. I prefer to play 4 sting basses, but as ever, it depends on the gig...

Yes, you are quite right about the price of BM's LP (I missed a zero off). I'm guessing that once he put it up for sale, even at an inflated price, he was letting serious collectors know that he was open for offers. Of course, the price of Bernie's LLP reflected not only that it was the guitar that he was most associated with, but also that it had also been owned by Clapton, Paul Kossof and Andy Fraser at some point. Didn't Jeff Beck record with it as well, or have I just imagined that? All I am saying is that people who have spent their life making a precarious living as a pro muso, maybe a little less sentimental about instruments than many of us might be. I've never owned a proper vintage instrument, so I'm not going to argue about it, but that's just an impression that I get...

The thing is that Bernie did actually put his famous LP up for sale for £100k not long before he died, along with many other high value guitars from his collection. However, he withdrew it from sale following a lot of feedback from his fanbase who urged him to keep it. On the back of this, he said that he was going keep it for a bit longer. Then he got ill and unfortunately, passed away a matter of weeks later. It's worth noting that he made it quite clear that he may sell at some point and that he would have considered a particularly good offer, at pretty much any time since he first got it!

I must admit that I wondered if the WB-100 would be loud enough / have enough headroom for bigger gigs. I've been using the R-400 as it is in the same ballpark as the mpulse in terms of sound, but a bit easier to carry round (no rack needed) and sits neatly on a 212 cab. It's just easier to unload in the early hours of the morning after a long drive home, so the mpulse and the Berg 410 stay at home! As far as the TT800 goes, I did have a Subway D-800 amp (the little one) for a while. However, even though it sounded great in a room on its own, it didn't really cut it for me on a stage with a band. This is something that I've always found with Class D amps, so an amp with a proper A/B power section in a smaller casing was (to me) a suitable alternative to carrying a 4u rack around. The R-400 sounds great, is loud enough and an easy one handed carry.

I can see that, but it seems that pros are a bit less sentimental about their assets tied up in vintage guitars...!

I was basing that statment on something that Bernie Marsden said a few months before he died when he put a load of his vintage guitars up for sale, including his 59 Gibson Les Paul Standard Burst (The Beast) that he is most associated with: "I have been astonished by the reaction to the potential sale of The Beast!” Marsden says in a new Instagram post. “As you all know, I’ve had the guitar since 1974 and technically it’s been for sale ever since… That’s what happens when you own a vintage Les Paul!” I also know that that Gary Moore sold a load of vintage guitars (including 'Greeny') when he lost some money on a cancelled tour, keeping just one old LP. Even guys like Mick Ralphs, who certainly never needed the money, seemed to be constantly buying and selling his vintage Gibsons & Fenders. For those of us who haven't got that sort of money, perhaps owning a vintage bass might be great for a while, but not something that you can justify financially in the long term. But it's nice to have owned and played them for a while! Not something that I've ever done, but I have known people who have and I can see the attraction...!

I must admit, I'm a little curious about what amps you are using currently? I thought that I saw that you have got a SVT7 (?) recently, in addition to the WB-100. If I remember correctly you also has a Mesa mpulse? I'm just wondering what amps you're gigging and what ones you've kept / going to keep? Personally, I seem to own / have owned similar amps to you. These include the R-400 that I use for virtually all gigs these days, an mpulse that I love and have no intention of selling, but can't be bothered to lug a 4u roadcase around for road gigs that I generally seem to be doing these days. and a MB LM3 that I tend to use for rehearsals. I also used to have a SVT5 that I used for a bit but moved on several years ago.

I think that a lot of people like the idea of owning one for a bit, if only for a while. A lot of big time pros seem to look at them as something they get to use for a while then move on when the market is right. Like you, I might be tempted at the right price, but in reality I'm quite happy with my 78 P bass.

The Blues Bar is great, but it is a drive away and there is also the Skipton Sound Bar bang in the centre of town. I've never played there (or even been), but I'm told that it's really good by those who have.

Generally I think that you are right, although there are exceptions.

I'm guessing your idea of a good night out is hanging out with some friends around a brazier with economy bottles of cheap cider, cans of Tennants Purple Tin and Thnderbird wine for the ladies? Still, that's a better night out than going to Wetherspoons...

Double post!