solo4652

I've recently used a Line6 Backtrack+mic to record band practice - really, really easy. See: [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=83725"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=83725[/url] Hope this helps, Steve

Well, so far so good. The Backtrack+mic is really simple, small and straightforward gadget to use. I've used it as a stand-alone digital recorder to record band rehearsal and it worked surprisingly well. 5-piece band in a small room, overall volume not too loud, but still pushing my 75W practice amp to max. You just turn it on and leave it. As soon as the band starts playing, it starts recording. At the ned of a song, as long as everybody is quiet for a couple of seconds it stops recording automatically. You simply press a button to keep the track. Plug it into your PC USB port and it's simplicity itself to open the files. Audio files are kept as WAV files - easy enough to convert to MP3 if you want to. Certainly good enough for later bedroom practice, which is all I needed. £50 used from Ebay - bargain. Steve

[quote name='noelk27' post='806242' date='Apr 14 2010, 04:49 PM']The factors that determine profile might be playing a larger part in your perceptions than you first realise. The L2000 has a 12" radius, 21mm thickness at the first fret, and a relatively flat fretboard, so although the neck is fairly wide at the nut - 44.5mm - it feels quite shallow in comparison to MusicMan and Fender designs. Not completely certain, but think a Fender Precision uses a 10" radius - measurements of 7.5, 9, 9.5, 10 and 12 inch are all common. If you find yourself getting along with the L2000, you might find joy taking a look at the older, discontinued G&L models - such as the first version of the SB, with the two J-style pickups, or the El Toro, which produces a sound with more mid-range than the L2000. There are also passive versions of the L1000 and L2000, from the early '80s, which have different tonal characters to the modern L2000. And given that CLF described the L2000 as the finest bass he ever designed, I don't know why you think it's back to front either.[/quote] Thank you. I'll look out for the G&L's you mention. My "back-to-front" comment was driven along by price, really. I'm currently favouring the G&L Tribute over the USA P, despite The G&L consisting significantly less. The G&L is such good value - used it tonight at rehearsal, with the band members once again saying they prefer the tone over the P. Steve

[quote name='BoomBass' post='806461' date='Apr 14 2010, 08:12 PM']Hm... I had these two that each (almost) meet your needs. Only, none of them are Fenders... This is a passive J-bass with a chunky P-neck (and reverse headstock) And this one is a P/J with a P-neck, but it's active... [/quote] A couple of lovely looking Celinders here. Most probably beyond my budget, however. Steve

[quote name='noelk27' post='805979' date='Apr 14 2010, 12:58 PM']Interesting. Is the G&L the L2000? In which case you're playing a 44.5mm neck, making your desired 42mm not so wide by comparison. Have you given any thought to radius, as this could also play a significant part in any qualitative assessment. Within the G&L range, the SB (P/J) series comes closest to your requirements, but the standard model features a 38mm neck, although custom options are available.[/quote] Yes - My G&L is a Tribute L2000. It's fast becoming my No. 1 bass over the USA P, because I find the G&L cuts through a band mix better and it gives me more tonal options at the flick of a switch. Also, I find the G&L neck marginally more comfy and less cramped - I must have huge hands! I only play it in passive mode, so it ticks all my boxes. I did look at the G&L SB2 but thought the neck would be too narrow at 38mm. I've not given any thought to radius because I don't know much about the subject. I don't really want to start modding the USA P bass - I'd rather leave it as original. I used to have a Stingray and was comfy with the neck, but I don't really want an active bass. So, it may be that I simply use the G&L L2000 as No.1 bass, with the P as it's backup. Somehow seems a bit back-to-front - dunno why. Steve

Thanks everybody. Looks like we can tick 3 of my 4 boxes, but it will cost me £mega. So, let's move the goalposts a bit. I currently have a USA P-bass with 42mm nut. Rich, classic p-tone. But I find it a bit limiting and I'm favouring my G&L Tribute because of the pup-choice flexibility it gives. So, as a possible replacement for the P-bass, I'm after something - let's now say it doesn't have to be a Fender - with these features: 4 string Passive Wide neck - 42mm Switchable pup configuration to give tonal range from P-thump to J-twang Lakland? Sandberg? Musicman? G&L? Steve

Hi, I'm looking for a Fender with this spec: 4 string Passive Wide P-neck P and J pups Does such a thing exist, please? Steve Okay - looks like I'll struggle to find such a thing. How about: 4string Passive Wide P-neck J pups Basically, a Fender J-bass with a P-neck? Steve

[quote name='JackLondon' post='784329' date='Mar 24 2010, 09:00 AM']Line 6 BackTrack? Can be had for under £60 and does the job, when you need you can simply plug your bass, guitar or mic and record straigh to it or do as we do and plug into mixing desk! It's idiot proof to download and manage the recordings![/quote] I've just bought one of these with the in-built mic off Ebay for £50. I want to use it to record band rehearsals without using the desk. Please tell me it will do so. Steve

Here you are: [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Professional-padded-RITTER-BASS-CASE-FREE-GUITAR_W0QQitemZ350337659411QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV?hash=item5191c07213"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Professional-padded-...=item5191c07213[/url]

Hi all, I'm looking for a really simple digital recorder that I can use to record band rehearsal. I'll need to download files to pc afterwards. I won't be editing or anything - just using the files to practise-jam with. According to the manufacturer, this will record a band, even though it was originally designed to record a single guitar or bass: [url="http://www.soundsliveshop.com/p/Line_6_BackTrack_+_Mic/L6-EX-BACKTRACKMIC"]http://www.soundsliveshop.com/p/Line_6_Bac...EX-BACKTRACKMIC[/url] Anybody used one to record a band at rehearsal? Any good? All comments gratefully received, Steve

This has been posted on Join my band. Please don't contact me! - I'm just passing this on in case somebody's interested in sun, sand and whathaveyou. Steve [url="http://www.joinmyband.co.uk/classifieds/-und-quotcool-und-quot-band-wanted-for-faliraki-greece-t106898.html"]http://www.joinmyband.co.uk/classifieds/-u...ce-t106898.html[/url]

You are not alone. I had the same experience when looking for a band to join recently. Most of my replies to ads were unanswered. As sombody fairly new to the world of music and performers, I found the sheer rudeness of some people quite an eye-opener - very different indeed from the world of business consultancy that I was used to! I made the mistake of trying to contact those who hadn't replied to me until it was pointed out that they hadn't replied to me because they didn't want to progress things. Unfortunately, no reply seems to mean "Thanks but no thanks" - but you have to realise that. Lowdown's suggestion worked for me. I put together a short "Bass Player's CV" with a picture, songlist, recent bands, recent gigs played, kit and contact details. I didn't send the CV when I first responded to an ad - just said it was available. Curiosity drove some people to ask for it. Also, I was upfront and clear from the outset what sort of band and music I was looking for so as to reduce the number of false alarms. The band I'm now with saw my "Bassist available" ad and liked the fact that I'd said I was interested in playing soft rock, pop and good-time party music. Maybe you could be a bit clearer about what you're looking to help people decide whether to respond to you. Finally, I had little success with Gumtree or Join my band. Best results seemed to come from Partysounds. But, that said, I'd post your ad everywhere to maximise the potential for responses, whilst accepting that you're going to have inappropriate replies, frustration and a fair bit of wasted time. In my case, it did pay off eventually - I'm now with a cracking semi-pro covers band. Hang in there. Good luck to you.

[quote name='lanark' post='771268' date='Mar 11 2010, 09:20 AM']Okay - when learning a cover version, how do you go about isolating the bassline. Is it merely a case of turning up the low freqs on the stereogram and listening carefully or are there free / cheap programs I can use to isolate the bass to hear exactly what's being played? Then, do I try to pick out the main basslines first and try to ignore the fancy fills that go on? Basically, any tips would be much appreciated. I'd like to hear what your processes are when you haven't got dots or tabs to work with.[/quote] I've been doing loads of this recently. Be lazy - before you start writing a bassline fron scratch, check the web. My tips: 1. Important first step: [b]Check with the band which key they're playing the song in.[/b] Otherwise you'll learn it in the wrong key. 2. Look up the chords on one of the many chord sites. Just Google it - you'll find the chords. This will give you the basic structure. I use this website: [url="http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/"]http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/[/url] The neat thing about this site is you can simply ask it to transpose the chord structure if you need to change it. 3. Look up the bassline on the web. Again, just Google it: e.g. "Alright now bass" and you'll get lots of bass tabs. Look at more than 1 version - some will be hard, others easy. Don't forget you may have to change it if there's a need to change the key. Word of warning, I've looked at loads of these bass tabs recently and you need to bear in mind that they're not always correct. Trust your ears - if you play it and it sounds wrong, it probably is. I often end up with a mix of basslines from a number of different suggested tabs 4. Initially, jam along to Youtube. However, get back to your band to check whether they've made any structural changes to the song. I've recently joined a band that had changed the running order of verses, choruses and bridges for a number of songs. Original key - yes. Original song structure - no. 5. Again, you could search the net for a backing track version of the song. Google it: "Alright now backing track". This can throw up a stripped-down version of the song that makes the bassline much clearer. Recently I found a really useful backing-track of Sweet Child o' mine that made it so much clearer what was happening in the bassline Hope this helps you to avoid the time-consuming errors I've made. Steve

Here's my shopping list for a rehearsal combo: Small Lightweight 10" or 12" speaker Ideally, used, because I don't really want to buy a new one Cheap - up to £100 secondhand I tried a Line 6 Studio 110 yesterday and was impressed with it. Crank up the mids on the Grind setting and it was impressively loud in a noisy music shop. Can't find one secondhand though. What about the Warwick Take 12? Anybody got one? Is it loud enough to cope with rehearsals - 4-piece band with fairly restrained drummer playing pop and soft-rock? Steve Now sorted - got a Line 6 Studio 110.

[quote name='HarryPotter' post='759600' date='Feb 28 2010, 09:49 AM'][url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=63149&hl=laney"]This[/url] one if you can go and fetch it, and it's not like it's a million miles away [/quote] Hi, A bit too big for my needs! Steve

Hi, I'm in the market for a cheap (£100 max) rehearsal combo that I can leave at our rehearsal room. It won't be used for gigs. 4-piece soft-rock/pop band playing at reasonably restrained volumes when rehearsing. Current options are: Laney HCM 160B £75 Carlsbro Bass Bomber £70 Behringer Ultrabass BX 1200 £80 Peavey TKO 75 £65 Which would you choose? Steve

Recent ad. on Manchester Gumtree: "Songwriter and vocalist requires bass player for serious but fun (and potentially life-changing) musical project. Male or female. 20-30 years old. Must be able to embrace the pop music ethic and see themselves as an entertainer, rather than an indie shoegazer. And want an escape from a boring everyday existence. Previous experience not essential; complete beginners considered. Personality is more important than any musical skill. Dedication required. Gigging second half of the year. Send a picture to be considered. I'm looking forward to hearing from you."

See this: [url="http://www.andertons.co.uk/BassGuitarAmps/pid15791/cid561/ExdemoRolandDBass115BassAmp.asp"]http://www.andertons.co.uk/BassGuitarAmps/...s115BassAmp.asp[/url] Steve

[quote name='solo4652' post='736924' date='Feb 6 2010, 07:50 AM']+1 to that. I have the D-bass 115 and it's been excellent. Relatively light (23kg) with a big, loud tone. Has "modern", "tube" and "clean" presets and lots of other tone-shaping buttons and switches. Rated at 350W and easily survives against 2 guitarists and a drummer. I was considering the extension cab but I've not needed it for any pub gigs. Steve[/quote] £300 ex-demonstration/shop soiled. Total bargain: [url="http://www.andertons.co.uk/BassGuitarAmps/pid15791/cid561/ExdemoRolandDBass115BassAmp.asp"]http://www.andertons.co.uk/BassGuitarAmps/...s115BassAmp.asp[/url]

[quote name='Muzz' post='734823' date='Feb 4 2010, 10:19 AM']If the quality, tone and volume of my Roland D-Bass 115 are anything to go by, the Roland 210 version is a belter. And not heavy, either.[/quote] +1 to that. I have the D-bass 115 and it's been excellent. Relatively light (23kg) with a big, loud tone. Has "modern", "tube" and "clean" presets and lots of other tone-shaping buttons and switches. Rated at 350W and easily survives against 2 guitarists and a drummer. I was considering the extension cab but I've not needed it for any pub gigs. Steve

Folks, I have a G&L Tribute L2000. When I switch between active and passive with the switch on the bass, I'm getting a loud "POP", just like unplugging the jack with the amp on. It's not done this before. I've changed the battery - no difference. After 3 or 4 switchings back and forth, the pop stops. No problems at all with my other bass - passive Fender P. Any thoughts? Steve

Thanks for all the advice. I'll let you know what happens. Steve