peteb

I would think that most bass players who play a variety of gigs will still want to keep a decent amp that they can use if needed. Certainly, I am expected to turn up with an amp / rig for all the gigs that I do and I can’t see that changing while I’m still active. Funnily enough, the only time that I thought that I might need to get an IEM system was when I was asked to join a band by a BL who had used them a lot in the past. However, a five minute discussion at the first rehearsal showed that the musos he had assembled for the new band all wanted to use amps and he was happy to go along with that (although he used IEMs for his own personal monitoring).

He did indeed, as well as many others (Wishbone Ash, Kinks, etc). I believe that he is semi-retired now, but still occasionally plays in a band with some family members (or at least he was a few years ago).

But you do have to appreciate that a lot (most?) of players take a different approach. Personally, I rarely use effects and I've always gone for a sound that, although not extreme in any way, is identifiable as being "my sound". While I'm not precious about it, amps and cabs are part of that.

I suppose that I could, but why would I want to? If I play pubs then I will still need an amp for the whole room and when I do bigger gigs then I can take a relatively lightweight rig and benefit from having a consistent sound onstage (as WoT says above).

That describes my approach. Unless you are going to commit to in-ears 100%, then I would have thought that some sort of amp on stage is necessary (who wants that much bass guitar in a monitor). Personally, I would prefer that a sound engineer has some reference of what I want the bass to sound like.

Try this if you ant some fusion with a rock element to it

I think that people over-emphasise the difference between fingers and pick. Personally, I started playing with fingers, then moved to pick in the 80s, then back to fingers. These days I play fingerstyle pretty much exclusively, purely because I am a much better player using my fingers. I tend to go for a pretty consistent sound, but occasionally I will work out how I would play a part with a pick and then work out how to play it in that way with my fingers

Has the landlord finally got rid of the contents of an old second hand music shop that he used to keep at the back of the stage??

Maybe, I remember there being an ELO tribute on several years ago but could have been your mates (the venue is in Helmsley).

You also have to take into consideration what the strength and weaknesses of the band are. How good are the BVs, can the guitar player convincingly fill the space in a three piece, can the rhythm section create this space for him to work with, etc?? There is definitely a knack to playing in a three piece...

I keep suggesting that my classic rock covers band (3 piece plus lead vocals) just gets a setlist made up of Phil X band YouTube covers...!

@casapete did you play the Farmyard Party (big outdoor biker event in North Yorkshire) a few years ago?

I came to Jaco (and the Bruford album that I couldn't listen to) as a rock fan (I had already been through my stint as a Yes / prog fan) who also liked blues / blues influenced music and was open to funk influences after listening to guys like Pat Travers, etc. I suppose that the funk influence was what attracted me more to Jaco, who also had a more soulful (not to mention damaged) personality that came across in his music, compared to the more bombastic Jeff Berlin. One thing about the more ‘lick’ based approach was that as a young bass player, there was always some little thing to take from Jaco and try and incorporate in my playing. Even though I usually ended up not getting it quite right, it opened up new ideas that I could use and influenced how I play to a small extent. Of course, I never had any intention of trying to transcribe a whole piece from either Jaco or Jeff!

Funnily enough , I had this discussion with a drummer at the last rehearsal we had. He always rated JB, putting him in the same league as Jaco. Personally, as good as Jeff Berlin is technically, I find him to be unlistenable whereas Jaco is often sublime (if you only listen to his best / least self indulgent / most iconic recordings of course)! I once bought a Bruford album featuring Berlin - just couldn't get into it at all...

I actually had an email conversation with Billy Sheehan about this very point and he advised me on how to get around it. The reason that the string comes back off pitch after you have flicked the switch back to the starting position to bring the string back up to the E, is because it will get slightly caught in the slot in the nut. All you have to do is get in the habit of lifting the string slightly out of the nut slot once you have returned to the higher pitch and the problem disappears. There you have it, a tip straight from King Billy! Of course it also helps if you have the D tuner properly set-up / installed and ensure that there is plenty of graphite / nut sauce or whatever in the E string slot on the nut.

I've been using 4 strings with a 'D' tuner for 35 years or so. Although I do have a couple of 5 strings, because there some gigs where you really can't get around using them, I much prefer the feel of 4 string basses. In answer to your questions: 1) No 2) Not that you would really notice (obviously the bottom string is a bit slacker when the D tuner is activated). 3) You don't have to, but it is something that you might want to consider if you are going to tune down to D for most of the set. 4) You have to get used to different patterns on the bottom two strings, but you get used to that pretty quickly - however, it depends on what you are playing. The reason that I got a 5 string is that I went to an audition where I had to play a part written on a 5 string. Trying to play it on a 4 string with a drop D turned it from a busy but relatively simple part into something pretty near unplayable. Against that, there are parts written for a drop D that are unplayable on a 5 string in normal tuning (just try playing Soundgarden tunes on a 5 string)!

FWIW, I have just switched from a modular 2 x 112 cab system to a single 212 cab. This is because I find it easier to carry one bigger cab at the end of the night (it has neo speakers, so the weight is alright) rather than having to bend to lift a smaller cab (then having to do it twice) and because I find that a cab with two speakers seems to be more efficient and appears to be louder / have more headroom.

Hey Daryl, great to see you back on the forum posting again. Everything you say in the OP is spot on. As regards to point 2, a trick I was told as a kid was to make eye contact with someone about ten or fifteen rows back in the audience. Everybody in the vicinity then thinks that you are playing to them. Another thing is when you are not moving around is to have a stance where you look comfortable and in control. Just stand with your feet planted a bit apart and relax. You don’t have to go the “full Slash”, although that can work if you are prepared to commit to it, but it does make you look more like you belong on the stage. Be careful not to do it when you’re offstage, or you risk looking like a tory MP who has been on a course and is adopting a Blackadder 3 power stance! I have just been to see a band that a couple of friends play in. the BL / guitarist / singer / frontman is an excellent musician and engaging enough. The rest of the band can play OK, but there is no show – the gaps between each song are too long, everyone on stage is static and there is no real communication with the audience. People enjoyed listening to them, but won’t remember them tomorrow and won’t go out of their way to see them again. Putting on some sort of a show (and we are not talking being OTT, just communicating with the audience) is important!

I'm sure that you're right, but I'm quite happy to take the HS410 to the bigger gigs and use the lighter CN212 for others (or where there are logistical issues). It may be a compromise, but it is hardly a terrible one...!

I still gig the HS410, but I do want a lightweight option for certain gigs. TBF, the HS is lighter than most 410 cabs that I have owned over the years. I'm certainly keeping it, as you say, it's the best cab I've ever used!

I haven't seen anything like that since the early 90s

The CN212 doesn't seem any heavier at all than a single HD112. I also find the 212 cab easier to lift than the smaller 112 format.

I believe that the CN212 weighs 46lbs (compared to 44lbs for each HD112). I was originally looking for a HDN212, which is slightly louder and supposedly voiced more like the ceramic version (although Mark at Bass Direct reckons that there isn't that much difference in sound). However, I've just gone and got 20 plus gigs in the diary, most of which are long drives away, so I wanted a lighter weight option as soon as possible to save having to lug heavier cabs around when I get home at 2 o'clock in the morning. Unlike some, I'm not really that keen on chopping and changing gear too much (famous last words, I know). I'm happy and know what to expect with the Berg gear, so I'm not looking to change anytime soon. In other news, I've just booked a session with a personal trainer with the intention pf going back to the gym after a long layoff with lockdown and an injury. Hopefully, I should soon be able to manage the CN212 easily enough at the end of the night...! 🙂

Thanks for that - they were my Bergs. I only dropped them off at Bass Direct on Tuesday, on route to pick up a CN212 in Essex, before spending a night in Southend then driving home the next day! I liked the HD112s - they sounded great, but I decided that I really needed a one cab / lightweight option (I also have an old Berg HS410 with ceramic speakers). As much as I liked the sound of the HD112s, I did feel that they were slightly underpowered. Personally, I don't find the weight of the CN212 to be a problem - so let's hope that I can get on with the sound of the neo speakers (I generally prefer ceramic speakers but I did have an AE212 for a while, which I liked). I've never been that keen on the sound of BF cabs when I have come across them, as technically excellent and incredibly light as they are. Never say never though, none of us are getting any younger...!

My favourite would be the combination in my Xotic jazz, i.e. an EBS Tri-logic pre paired with Lindy Fralin pickups. The EBS is a great sounding and very musical preamp that would be very difficult to get a bad sound out of. There are some great sounds in the East circuit that I had, but there is just way too much boost and cut in there. I used to dread letting anyone play the bass I had it in through my rig in case they turned the bass up and blew out my speakers, as once nearly happened when a really good American bass player decided that he wanted a bit more bass and inevitably dialled in way too much and had me cringing at the back of the room as my Berg 410 struggled to handle that much bottom end! It is cool that John East will talk to customers and custom build preamps, as the option of a less drastic version of the J-Retro Deluxe would be great.