bass_dinger

Lots of options here - thanks all! I have used twin Aldi fruit boxes for a banjo, using the joint to fashion a neck brace. But it takes time to build up a box out of smaller ones, and the cost of my time was more than the cost of a box, on reflection. So, I will try to make a bike box smaller, rather than a fruit box bigger!! Or I may just order a box online....

Papa's got a brand new bog - James Brown Red red wire - UB40 Madonna- Vague; like a player

Can anyone please recommend a company that sells boxes? I need to post a synthesiser, 100cm × 35cm ×15cm. Who is good for strong yet inexpensive boxes?

This - both the serious advice, and the quip about nobody is listening. If someone with authority and knowledge tells me it is too bassy , or loud, I will make changes. But often that is using "Lee Sklar's Producer Switch" - make a change to something that others can see, but most of the change comes from using a different playing technique. That way, I still have (say) the volume to compete with the band and the congregation, and it is available to me simply by digging in harder, or playing over the neck pickup rather than the bridge.

Welcome, Gary. And well done for sorting out your bass. A replacement battery is cheaper than a new cable, amplifier or bass. And you will never make that mistake again! You might want to find a battery tester - and get an idea of what voltage your bass needs before it fails (for my bass, I found that less than 5 volts still works). Spare batteries are good to have around. And a screwdriver to open the battery aperture. You can put that in your case, and probably find room for a foot pedal tuner (Boss TU2 is good), and then you will need a second cable. The tuner is battery powered, or you can use a power supply. And .... as if by magic, you have bought some new kit!!

I used to have a lot of instruments - poor quality kit, unused guitars that I owned as a child, instruments that I did not play (glockenspiel, mouth organ). Now, I have a clear pathway to instrument upgrades: 1. Buy something that I want to learn. 2. If I stick with it, buy a better one that is more playable. 3. Stop buying them - I am not good enough for further upgrades. I do have a spare bass (3, now), so need to sell a few of them. But right now, I have one good instrument in each category (bass, acoustic bass, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, electric piano)

Beautiful. However, I don't need another instrument. However however, I have DMd you...

Judged? Only by other bassists....! Those big buildings are notoriously difficult to balance sound in. Hard surfaces all round, and a lot of space to fill, and some standing waves (sound, not Mexican...), make it a challenge to get a good sound. Well done for getting the gig - I have never played in such a venue!

I watched that, and was very impressed with the guitarist. Any idea who he is?

Good news @Lfalex v1.1 - I think that the strings are allowable...

I have discovered that the venue already has a small portable platform, so I don't need to make my own. But it looks like I will need a separate 150 watt bass amp to power the unit - I can't plug it into the existing amp, because when I turn it up to get more vibration from the unit, I will also get more volume from the cabinet. So, line out from the original bass amp, into a 150 watt second amp to power the new device. Is that right?

As prophesied by @Richard R, an obscure verse, misinterpreted, in order to prove that God plays bass... "Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me” (Psalm 42:7). Who needs an Eich baseboard, when one has waterfalls and waves to emphasise the low end!

If Hillsong had people who could play like that, churches would not have people who could play like Hillsong!

Ashdown again. I sent them two Acoustic Radiator Acoustic amps for repair, and they did them both - my amp was fixed free of charge. The ultimate BOGOF deal...

If we had 4 or more bassists, I think that I would stand down. If I were the fifth best bassist in a group of 5, I would sit in the pews and enjoy the music. And if the other 4 bassists were learning their craft, I would question (in my mind) the wisdom of the leadership. Playing 12 times a year is not enough to keep my chops up, especially if we have (say) 3 drummers and the rota will mean that I only get to play together once every 12 weeks. There was a time when my church did have 4 bassists, but I defeated them all, Highlander-Style.... Actually, the reality was that they turned up unprepared, turned up without a bass guitar, needed to be told where each note on the bass was, did not turn up, could not make certain events, needed someone else to tune their instrument. I think that the leaders got fed up with that nonsense, and focused on the people who could do it without instruction. Once they had a band that loved to play, and could sound good with a one-hour run through, they decided to stick with what worked. However, since then, there has been some noise about why others are not invited to sing, or why their children got a guitar for Christmas and know three chords but are not yet in the band. Sadly, nobody had the courage to tell such people that they were previously turned down in the mix. So for me, a small band and a spare set of musicians who are rotad in is enough for me.

What fingers am I using for fingerstyle plucking? My own, always my own... I guess that the bass is a relatively new instrument and so, no "best technique" has emerged. Compare that to piano - "use these fingers to play these notes on this scale." Sure, I can do piano my own way, but surely hundred of years and millions of students have discovered the best way of doing things. Alternatively, choose between 40 different bass fingerstyle techniques - take it away, Nate Navarro. And I don't think that Number 40 counts, for those of us without friends . . .

I have a German speaking wife, lots of 18mm mdf, and £23. Looks like I have a project ....

Perfect! But even Perfecter would be to buy a vibration unit separately.... I see that @Bigwan had "plans to do a DIY one when time allows.." Is that possible?

I know that this has come up before on Basschat, but I can't find the thread. I want to mount a device that vibrates, onto a platform. Device is connected to the amplifier, I play a note, and feel the note through my feet. It thus feels louder, and I can turn down the stage volume. So, what are those devices called?

I am indeed involved again, playing, albeit less often. However, I am not as emotionally involved... Careful observation of my work station will reveal the presence of an electric piano, an instrument that is not a bass. This denotes that I am exploring other options - certainly, I see that playing bass at church is not the peak of musicality (unless one happens to be Handel, or Bach....).

It is a course that is easily self-taught. All you need is lots of people that annoy you, and a lifetime to learn the difference between not minding (a good thing) and not caring (not so good). As for the setup, it was good for using up my daughter's old university desk (white bit at the bottom) and some wood-veneered mdf panels that were part of her bedroom furniture. Self-made by me, but now no longer needed... I could have cried, but instead, I smiled and nodded.

This seems to be my last substantive post in this thread - a contrast to the time when I was either moaning about the set up, and, before that, sharing how well the band was set up. Since being asked to stand down after complaining that the chord charts were late, the situation is very different. The band has not had a mid week rehearsal since about May, and chord charts are not available until the morning of the service. As for me, I have learnt to keep my mouth shut, and smile and nod. It is rather refreshing! The new setup seems to work well enough. In other news, I have a new home practice setup

And, at that moment, @Woodinblack invented the ukulele!

In other news... "Pianists: are 88 notes too many?", and an organist confirms that they really do use all the notes on all 5 manuals and the 25-note foot control too. Our bluegrass correspondent will be asking mandolin players if they ever use the frets on the funny little extension on an F Style mandolin. And why do folk guitars have frets above the 5th, when many players do not use them? But first, primary school recorder players- is one note too many? ...... The more I think about this, the more I realise that many instruments have unused notes!