JapanAxe

Although one of the functions of my rig (guitar or bass) is to be loud [i]enough[/i], a too-loud band spoils it for me both as a player and as an audience member. My rule of thumb is: If I need to use one or more earplugs, it's too loud. I should explain I have some damage to my right ear, which causes it to be over-sensitive, so that loud sounds (especially in the upper mids) create a crackling effect. Depending on my position in relation to the other instruments, and their volumes, I may end up using one earplug or two. When I had my own band (i.e. I was the boss!) we never played so loud that I needed earplugs, just loud enough to get the music across with a bit of excitement. Having a sensible drummer helped of course, and keeping my (skinny-string) guitar volume reasonable didn't force the bass player into volume wars.

Great result! I should not be allowed near woodworking tools...

[quote name='vmaxblues' timestamp='1445548067' post='2892401'] Worcester [/quote] I think I know the shop!

[quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1445536535' post='2892278'] Great idea to add in another Compact. I`d def be wary of putting a heavy - as in SVT2 weight - on top of two of these though, stick to the light amps. Topple city methings. Soundwise I reckon it would be great though. [/quote] Nah, the Ampeg head will stop the BF cabs blowing away in the breeze at outdoor gigs!

[quote name='bassman7755' timestamp='1445317251' post='2890467'] Id go for the 2nd because of the pickup config, the single mid mounted pickup as on #1 only works for fretless IME (although those who like a P type sound would probably disagree). [/quote] Yep, I disagree. That is to say, I agree that I would (or do) disagree. Or maybe i should say... oh crap. Although neither do it for me, I might feel differently if I had ever played one, so I favour the OP's plan to get both, try them out, and move one on.

[quote name='bassace' timestamp='1445284668' post='2890312'] I've gotta tell you this. Yesterday we played for a posh lunch at the Orangery, Blenheim Palace. It's only a few miles down the road, we were a three piece gtr, drums, bass and playing mainly wallpapery jazz standards. Audience middle aged and generally not very responsive. One number we played was The Night Has a Thousand Eyes -.not Bobby Vee but John Coltrane. And we got a good round of applause. A Coltrane number! [/quote] I can confirm, that is a posh venue. So posh we had to load in through the window!

Just read the ad and didn't see 'USA' or 'American' in there.

I have D'Addario Chromes on all my basses. I can't think of a reason to avoid the brand, they have been making instrument strings for a lot of years. However, some people will favour them, some won't.

Dep gig last night with a Slade/glam tribute band at a holiday park in Cornwall. 4 hour journey in band van, set up, wait for 'Tina Turner' to do her turn, soundcheck, wait nearly 7 hours to go on! Then pack down, home at 4am, and up again for work at 6.45am. I am Donald Ducked. The 1-hour-plus on stage was brilliant, arsing about in 70s glam dress-up - the place was packed and they loved us. I used the band's own rig - HiWatt solid state 300W head into 2 H&K cabs. On-stage sound was excellent. I played my Pawn Shop Mustang, the nearest thing I have to Jim Lea's short-scale HB-loaded Gibsons. Sounded great for that music, up against a Marshall 100W head through an 8x10 cab that once belonged to Andy Scott of the Sweet, but it wouldn't have suited much else: Here's the rig:

[quote name='TimR' timestamp='1445104591' post='2888865'] Who reads the comments? You'd be better off reading the daily mail or the comments on the BBC News website. Either that or join a conversation with me in off topic. [/quote]

I'm not a jazzer but I do a fair bit of depping. If I don't know a song on the set list, and it's not readily buskable(TM), then I generally transcribe the part and learn it from that. On a gig-by-gig basis it makes no economic sense, but in the longer term I have built up an extensive repertoire (and a mahoosive pad of music). So basically I'm agreeing with Jazzjames. The bottom line, in terms of what I deliver, is that neither the band nor the audience should see the join. Ideally I want the band to think, 'I wish he was our regular bass player'.

Off to BC market place: (1) Squier CV Precision; (2) Used Class D combo.

[quote name='sellisnba' timestamp='1445077391' post='2888605'] I was watching a video recently on YouTube, the playing was superb and he was playing his own piece. One of the comments was "Where is the F&@£king tab, don't be so F£&@king lazy and selfish, we need tabs!!" Your not exactly going to get anywhere with that attitude. There really are some monumental bellends on YouTube. [/quote] Clearly the world owes that person a living, and all the tabs they desire.

The whole notation/tab thing has been done to death in other threads, but it's the attitude of wanting everything on a plate, this instant, that grates on me.

Picture the scene: You are combing YouTube for audio examples of a bit of kit in which you are interested. You find one with a great piece of playing, that shows off the kit to its best advantage. Impressed, you scroll down through the comments for anything that will help increase your knowledge of said kit, and there it is: [indent=1][b]Xxxxx[/b]: Tabs please![/indent] No no no! How stupid is that? Listen up Xxxxx (probably not your real name I know), why would this talented player take the time to transcribe into tablature the music he came up with to demo this kit? Oh I know, so that you can shortcut years of study and practice by putting your fingers where the tab says, and magically replicate that music, without troubling your lazy ass with anything that might involve effort. [/rant]

[quote name='gary mac' timestamp='1445018456' post='2888268'] Great fun I should think [/quote] I'll tell you on Monday - or I would, except I will have been at work all day after trying to get some kip in the van on the return journey! [quote name='FuNkShUi' timestamp='1445019125' post='2888279'] Learnt ghostbusters theme song today ready for our gigs over Halloween. Different!! [/quote] I'm playing it (from dots) with a big band on Halloween, along with [i]Witchcraft[/i], [i]I Wanna Be Evil[/i], [i]That Old Black Magic[/i]...

[quote name='SubsonicSimpleton' timestamp='1445004405' post='2888102'] Classical DB pedagogy has a big emphasis on shifting up and down the neck accurately - Simandl modern method book 1is probably worth a look, along with Hrabe 86 etudes, and there is a youtube channel where a very helpful japanese person has put the Simandl 30 etudes book in video format where you can read the score and play along with piano accompaniment. [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2OnFTI3tCg[/media] [/quote] Thanks, that looks useful.

Having once looked at the La Bella range, you can eliminate a lot of them as being the wrong scale length. As WoT says, best to avoid through-body as sharp break angles are reputed to be unkind to flats - I think LaBella do a specific through-body set, but I could never find them in the UK.

A set of Slade and a set of other 70s/glam material for a tribute band gig on Sunday.

[quote name='CamdenRob' timestamp='1444915647' post='2887288'] Every available bit of storage space in my house is occupied by a pair of Mrs C shoes... If I buy any more basses I'll have to build something in the garden to store the cases. [/quote] Mrs C must have huge feet!

[quote name='CamdenRob' timestamp='1444990336' post='2887876'] Not yodel or my[s]hermes[/s] herpes [/quote] Fixed.

[quote name='CamdenRob' timestamp='1444911332' post='2887226'] I had one for a while and thought it was an excellent bass. Good fit and finish, well ballanced, P bass like playability and a wide selection of tones available... nothing to dislike really [/quote] 100% agree with this. I did have to replace the pots on mine after a couple of years though.