uk_lefty

What an absolute legend... Well, both of you actually. Two absolute legends!!

Am sure that's the convenient excuse they will use, but it wasn't snowing on Friday when I posted it or Saturday... Website problem has been there since Fri afternoon at least.

Parcelforce

Anybody else unable to track anything sent via Parcelforce? I sent an effects pedal on Friday, sold over Facebook. Had some back and forth with the buyer trying to protect myself from any potential scam and now I've received payment and posted it looks like I'm ripping him off because the Parcelforce website won't recognise the tracking number!!! It's also not recognising a tracking number for something I sent a week earlier which I know has arrived, so looks like a system error. If you phone them it puts you to an automated speech recognition thing which also doesn't recognise my tracking number. Infuriating.

First thing I did in lockdown was buy a USB mixer so I could record. I have even offered to drop round either the mixer, an amp with USB recording out, or a zoom handheld recorder to one of the guitarists. The drummer has an electronic kit, but he also has some funny habits, like he will be really difficult about bookings unless it's for someone he knows, so any questions to him go unanswered. I'm going to learn to programme drums this week.

How I wish either one of my bands: A. Cared enough to do this B. Had the time to do this C. Could just spend a few quid on a second hand USB mixer so "I don't have the kit, sorry" isn't an excuse any more. They've saved enough £9.50s a week from rehearsal to get even a rotten one off ebay, surely? D. All of the above

I had a bass lesson in December and could barely remember the names of most songs in our 60ish long set list. Last gig was 15th February 2020

Top advice thanks everyone. Believe it or not being in two bands it's very hard to motivate anybody else to do any kind of recording even though they moan about not being able to get together to rehearse. Will stick to producing my own stuff and then sending tracks to others so they can re do "their" bits should they want to

Yes have been playing to a click supplied by my Blackstar BEAM amp. Have downloaded MT Power kit and Reaper once more because Audacity can't take the MT Power kit. Audacity is very basic, probably why I've not moved away from it until now! Thanks everyone

I'm looking for some advice... I've been doing some solo recording. The bass and guitars is coming out well, vocal needs work. I just don't have drums. Any advice on cheap or free places to "get" drum bears to record over? I record using Audacity purely from familiarity but should try Reaper soon. I'd like something where I can get an easy pattern and decide where to put in fills so I can make it work for doing my own versions of popular songs. Don't really want to spend actual money as I've invested in an expensive but of effects kit recently. Grateful for any advice! Thanks

Not a great deal extra! It is just added switches, not exactly hugely expanded functionality.

Any clues as to when this is out? Might cancel the pre order for my HX Stomp and if its a case of waiting 3 or 4 weeks get the bigger version...

In the meantime I've been experimenting with the sounds. I've not recorded anything yet because I'm trying to find the right sounds to put in to covers then record guitar and bass parts for the band/ project I've got going. And I've somehow ended up selling off my Boss GT10B and my Zoom guitar multi and pre ordered a Helix Stomp. Not sure if I still need the EHX pedal now...

I'm somehow on 5.5 basses. I sold the Aria mentioned earlier in the thread but after a balls up by the courier it came back to me! In the meantime I bought a fretless Warwick that I really, really like. I also wanted to self assemble a bass, hence the fraction of a bass mentioned. I am flogging off all my multi effects, guitar and bass, which hold net me about 50 quid short of a HELIX Stomp to replace them all. The Helix is on pre order while two guitar effects pedals are still waiting for new homes, I never learn. I do need to get rid of some basses though. They're all good, I just don't think I need more than 3.

Sure, I realise that, there's probably no way of proving that it is a bass in the box, or that the bass is in A1 condition when it went in. But a photo of the box on the scales at the Parcelforce hub or on your doorstep as the DPD guy picks it up or whatever should show that it left yours in a good state, in case it arrives at destination looking like a carcass that Rocky has been pounding.

I've got my Helix Stomp on pre order, should be here at the end of the month. I've been through the demos of the bass amps and I'm not seeing any "super clean" bass amp sounds. For example, my Boss GT10B (now departed) had sims for a "super flat" amp and a trace elliot. My old Fender Bronco modelling amp modelled an SWR. These are my favourite amp sounds to then layer drive etc. on top of if and when I want it. Will I be able to get "super clean" amp sounds from the Helix by lowering gain and sacking in compression? Or would I need to import third party IRs?

I think you're on to something there. Reading the other thread about the one man Sansamp fraud crime wave has made me really think about how I send stuff of value in future, as well as a very bad experience. It's not fool proof but you could video the item being wrapped (in case the bar steward nicks the knobs off your bass for example!) , boxed, photo the box with the addressee details on it before you take it to the depot or it gets collected (so they know you're sending them a bass and not just a little envelope addressed to yourself), share the tracking info and follow up with the receiver for when it arrives before you leave feedback for them or spend the proceeds of your sale. This should provide you with evidence to protect yourself to a small extent against things going wrong such as items getting lost, so you can prove you're not a scammer, and items arriving knackered, or against buyers being a bit of a Billy-Hunt and nicking bits of or damaging your item before returning it for a refund.

There's an interview with Robert Plant where he's P!ssing himself laughing about Dread Zeplin, in a nice way. Now they are how to do a tribute!

What name did you put? Your name? The person you were tributing? Or did you have a tribute to the individual artist name?

If you're not related to the tribute band then you have to be very intoxicated to be buying their merch, I mean, why would you?!

https://loudwire.com/pearl-jam-cease-and-desist-tribute-band-pearl-jamm/ Interesting article. Odd timing too. Got to admit though, they could have had a better tribute act name. Like "the Jeremy's", "Pearl Marmalade" or something. Me and my mates used to laugh at the shoddy tribute band names that were basically crude enough to be things like: "Not Queen" etc, but I don't think they got cease and desist letters!

Now I have 6 basses (well, 5 and a half). I really should trim down, it's a bit silly. I just need to work out the optimum number. I also have a rule of "don't spend the proceeds until the courier has delivered the item AND the buyer is happy". I broke that rule last night, but the intent is there. That's how I ended up with the Warwick while the Aria was lost in a DPD vortex.

I bought a Marshall Bass State B150 amp to replace an 80s peavey and an early Torque amp that I used to loop together. Not exactly bi-amping just running the line out from one in the input of the other. Anyway, I was seduced by Marshall catalogues of the DBS series amps and a glorious brand new one in the posh music shop. The grotty music shop had a second hand B150. I knew the catalogue inside out and traded both my old amps, some cash and probably some other stuff to buy this exotic amp. Blendable valve and solid state, heavier than a dead elephant and with a stupid handle so you struggle to carry it sensibly. It was great. Though not very loud... It got used on a few gigs then before going to uni I tried to sell it to an old school friend who brought along a Trace BLX 80 and it blew the Marshall away for volume. A bit embarrassing. I traded it back in at the grotty music shop for a more portable 100 or 150 watt band new Torque amp. Anyways, turns out someone I was doing a part time job with and got chatting to was a bassist in a band that did quite well locally a few years back. It was his old amp, and it was quiet for him too. I quite liked that it has belonged to someone I knew and liked. Years later I saw in the local crack converters a B150, covered badly in naff red tolex and with the buttons and sliders snapped and mangled. That amp had seemingly been through every bassist in town in the years in between. And crack converters wanted about the same money for it as I had paid many years earlier!

I feel quite restrained in comparison here! In brakcets is the year I bought the bass, a lot of these were second hand. Tanglewood Nevada P copy 1999 Kramer Striker fretless 5 (still got it) 2002 Hohner PJ 2005 Brice 6 string 2007 Warwick Steamer LX 4 2007 MiM Fender Jazz 2012 Westfield P 2015 Fender MIJ 1970 Reissue P 2015ish Hohner B2A 2015ish Sire V7 Vintage 5 2018 MM Stingray 4 2018 (still got it) Fender CIJ Jazz 1975 reissue 2020 (still got it) Aria Pro ii Elite 1 SB Bass 2020 (still got it) Warwick Steamer fretless 4 2020 (still got it) Parts for a bitsa 2020/2021 (waiting to be built) Guess when I joined Basschat?!

Why is it not really a Fender? I don't understand.