uk_lefty

My MIM Jazz is a bit of a test bed for upgrades. I got it in less than perfect condition and I'm ok with it getting the odd knock, it's solid but it's been through the wars including a very fine drill bit going straight through the headstock. My precision was perfect until my drummer knocked it off its stand and it has a tiny thumbnail looking dint in it from a cymbal. Complete accident and no real harm done. If my fretless Kramer on the other hand tool a knock I would be livid. It was my 18th birthday present, the only current bass I have that I owned from new. The back of the neck has changed colour over the years from sunlight and hand sweat but the metallic paint finish is perfect. Gigging it this weekend I was conscious of my sweaty arm digging in to the side of the bass...

Taken by Japan axe

I have a Harley Benton micro pedal tuner that doesn't work properly so it's free to a good home, anyone who tinkers with pedals might want this. Let me know

I recently bought ACS off the shelf ear plugs based on recommendations here. First time I used them I didn't feel "connected" with the band but I know my hearing has been damaged in the past and isn't going to get better. I have used them once since when we had rubbish boomy PA speakers in the practice room and felt far more comfortable and involved. I can only guess the custom sets will take things up a notch.

Mine can be anything from p bass in to ashdown head and two fifteens, to jazz or fretless river or headless active in to loads of pedals that rarely ever get used, maybe for small passages in one song only (flanger, chorus, enhancer for the fretless), amp has built in drive which is v good. I used to use a hartke vxl but since upgrading my amp it's out of a job. I often muck around with pedals and things but in my view you can't beat a nice full bass sound with occasional overdrive.

With all of these though you run the risk of tone of voice not coming through. I have had a band member seriously throw his toys out of the pram over something, and we all thought he was joking so we piled in, turned out he really was upset over something everyone else thought wasnt an issue and we made it worse thinking it was a joke. Hard one to judge.

I don't think your message to the drummer was entirely unreasonable but could see why some take more offence than others. Because contractual pedantry pays my mortgage I would say there's a difference between "are you available on x date?" With no follow up and "are you available on x date?" Followed up with "great news guys, gig is confirmed" so everyone knows it is now set in stone. I know sometimes you shouldn't have to confirm everything twice over, but it does help.

[quote name='afterimage' timestamp='1506376349' post='3378378'] I have a jazz p j bass https://reverb.com/item/1372259-fender-vintage-hot-rod-70s-jazz-bass-candy-apple-red-rosewood-187 [/quote] Always liked the look of those. Nobody ever asks about fitting a p pickup to a jazz, always fitting a jazz pickup to a p...

They call it a windbreaker in the ad so that I'd suggest the buyer douses it in febreeze to get rid of the farty smell

Top basschatter, bought a tuner pedal and it was posted same day. Very easy to deal with, trade with confidence!

I think with a lot of bands, even busy gigging bands earning good money, but not a full professional band, you often get this. We all love our music but have annoying day jobs to pay our mortgages and anchor us in to societal acceptance. That means that when it's band time, or sport time, or whatever we do as hobbies, some people can't contain their excitement and their imagination for what they want the band to be and they can rub everyone else up the wrong way. That's my view anyway. Seen it before with people, not all delusional like the woman who had never been in a band but her boyfriend said she was a good singer and she scolded me for focussing on trying to play junior international sport rather than be on a band with her... Some are just people who are way too keen, like the drummer who loved our talking heads covers and thought playing Robbie Williams' let me entertain you would be a perfect song to add to the set... I guess it's so hard to find your perfect band you end up kissing a lot of frogs. I love my current band and nobody is fifty years old... Yet

[quote name='Bill Fitzmaurice' timestamp='1506006033' post='3375844'] In short, the quest you so often see of "I want to get all of the watts out of my amp" is usually at best misguided, at worst delusional. [/quote] Or maybe it's just poorly phrased due to a lack of in depth technical knowledge.

How does this pedal sound through an amp and with a band? It seems expensive for a headphone only practice tool. I'm keen on going back to multi fx after having issues on my pedal board and needing to downsize my gear. I had a boss ME20 and didn't have the patience to edit the patches, this looks more simple to edit but IMO multi fx units can sound sterile through an amp

[quote name='crag42' timestamp='1505947157' post='3375493'] I understand the vocals will not be for everybody but for me it works. Its different, fresh and should be killer live when they tour it [/quote] Agree they have potential to be unbelievable live if you've got all that quality and creativity allowed to let loose.

[quote name='skidder652003' timestamp='1505938323' post='3375404'] 2 x 12 is all the rage around tgese here parts! [/quote] If there was an affordable lightweight one of consider it, but I'm quite keen on the 4x10

[quote name='Merton' timestamp='1505937638' post='3375399'] If you use one 1x15 cab it's a single 8 ohm load so the amp will output around 300W. Using both gives you a 4 ohm load and the full power output. If you get a 4 ohm 4x10 will give you full power into the one cab, but it will be the only cab you can use as adding other cabs will lower the impedance and the RM head won't like that. [/quote] Superb! Thank you. I'm looking to downsize and I always fancied having tens but the 4 x 10 must be a new-ish product because I would have held out for it. I don't have enough room in the house (I've been told!) for the two fifteens and awesome as they sound together it would be better to just be taking a single cab around.

Sorry to ask... But I want to check. At the moment I use two 8ohm cabs from my Ashdown RM 500 EVO head. These cabs are ashdown RM 1x15s but one is a 250w standard cab and the other is a 500w EVO version. Using them both together provides a serious amount of output that is ample for gigging. Here comes the silly question: if I only use the Evo cab on its own am I getting the full 500w through it? Do I really need the 250w cab at all? Second question, I quite fancy the Ashdown RM Evo 4x10 which is 600w in to 4 ohms. Same question, if I use this cab on its own, firstly is that ok ohms wise? And secondly will it be getting the full power from my amp head and no second cab required? Hope that makes sense and apologies if it's a Noddy question but I've never understood the whole ohms thing. Thanks for any advice

I see where they're going but I do not like the vocals, couldn't listen to a whole album, would prefer MK leading the vocal myself, but they didn't make the album for me.

Do you want to be talked out of the gas?

I use the RM500 EVO head with two RM fifteen inch speakers. It's a hell of a rig, I always get asked to turn down! I find the tone can get aggressive when you dig in but you can tame it a lot. It's just a really simple head, easy to get the tone set as you want and getting a two button footswitch really helps, in fact it replaced my entire effects board on Saturday night. I bought the head thinking I'd try it and see if I liked it and I can't see me needing more power or other options in the foreseeable future.

For tricky parts I write out the chords on my set list to help me get through if I haven't managed to learn completely. I also tell the guitarist for certain parts of certain songs I need to see his chord shapes so I can follow. We have over fifty songs and it's very difficult to remember them all but we all help each other out. If doing either or both those helps settle you then just go out and enjoy! Audiences can be very very forgiving. I played the right positions but on the wrong string in my first gig and on our biggest song, nobody noticed. I was upset with myself and didn't enjoy all the backslapping until the guitarist and drummer snapped me out of it.

[quote name='ambient' timestamp='1505728816' post='3373760'] I think nowadays there's actually too much scope for tonal adjustment. Modern basses have active preamps with amazing EQ possibilities, amps too. You see people fiddling with the controls on their bass, then going up to the amp and making adjustments, then it's the bass again. You should just start with a bass that you like to play, and an amp that suits your needs. This is why I think people change their gear so much. Just my opinion of course. [/quote] But just because it's there doesn't mean you should fiddle with it constantly. Is it a matter of self restraint? A matter of knowing your equipment? Or a matter of faffing about endlessly and never willing to be happy with what you have?