JapanAxe

I have no cone-size-based preference, as long as there are no tweeters involved.

How was my gig last night? Different! I am generally playing in social clubs and village halls these days, but last night I depped on guitar with a rock/pop covers band for a moving-in party at the bottom of someone's garden. That's my rig to the right. Note the complete lack of any shelter - just as well it stayed dry! The first set went pretty well in the nice warm sunshine, but it got quite chilly in the second set. I was glad of my hoodie and beanie! We finished, did a 3-song encore, but there was no way that the 100 pi$$ed-up guests were going to let us go, so we had to recycle a few numbers, and I ended up singing a couple while the singer's iPad (with his words) was powered back up! Not the tightest of gigs but another one notched up.

Despite my reservations about Denmark Street being an oligopoly (look it up!), I have always had good customer service there, and never suffered any of the disdainful attitude that is sometimes reported. Maybe it is because I have 'buyer' stamped on my forehead!

[quote name='dood' timestamp='1399297246' post='2442825'] It buzzes between songs? When you are not playing you mean? - If it does that it would suggest it's not the cabinet, more like something else in the signal path. [/quote] True, a cab will only cause a buzz if you put a signal in to rattle it. A permanent buzz will originate elsewhere.

[quote name='Jack Cahalane' timestamp='1399297707' post='2442830'] Which tonewater did you use? [/quote] Could try snake oil?

Check out [url="http://www.studybass.com/"]Study Bass[/url]. This is a chord-based learning approach. I recommend working through it from the beginning, even if there are elements you already know. EDIT: Just realised that site is really for electric bass rather than upright, so the position approach may not transfer so well, but can't hurt to have a look.

[quote name='SubsonicSimpleton' timestamp='1399203634' post='2441997'] Part of the issue with volume wars, is that guitar cabs can be very directional, and you need to crank the volume way louder than it needs to be in order to hear yourself if you are stood in front of the amp stack - try asking the guitarists to sit on the floor in front of their stacks while playing and see if they are comfortable with the volume level, and maybe also try swapping stage positions with each guitarist in turn, so they can hear the instrument mix from your perspective and you can hear the mix from theirs. [/quote] IME many guitarists have their cabs down on the floor, so (lacking ears in their knees) they have no idea of the sonic mayhem being perpetrated out front. If they have their cab at a reasonable height they may revise their idea of what is loud enough. WARNING: Some guitarists are nevertheless happy to stand with their ears right in front of their speakers while they emit eardrum-mangling sound levels. Best to just put them in a sealed room with other like-minded guitarists and let them get on with it.

[quote name='Sean' timestamp='1399123810' post='2441284'] ...when someone asks me whether I play lead or rhythm guitar, I usually answer by telling them that I play whatever the song needs at that time... [/quote] When someone asks me whether I play lead or rhythm guitar, I just say YES.

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1399197062' post='2441894'] How about some 'before and after' pics? [/quote] +1

[quote name='BassTractor' timestamp='1399064076' post='2440725'] Yes, I understood, and asked you whether you were satisfied with how that worked out, or at least I [b]tried[/b] to ask you that. [/quote] Okay! Yes, I was satisfied, but I won't know for sure that my settings are right until I take the amp out on a gig.

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1399065322' post='2440750'] Once again because they could. What so many people seem to forget is that back in the 70s these were just mass-produced instruments and the Musicmaster was Fender's "budget" line for people who needed the Fender logo on their instrument but who couldn't afford a Precision or Jazz. They weren't any big deal and relatively cheap and therefore ripe for "customisation" and modification as it took the owner's fancy. [/quote] This. They have never been highly regarded, and it is only recently that their price has started to creep up, simply by virtue of them being old (or in ad-speak, 'vintage').

I can't help with a MM but I do have a G&L 5-string with a humbucker in the 'MM' position. You are welcome to try it if you fancy a trip over to Swindon some time - but it's not for sale!

I'm guessing this is more to do with stuff being rattled by the speaker's 'wanted' output than by the floor resonating, but Mr Snickers' suggestion should help you.

[quote name='BassTractor' timestamp='1399048477' post='2440495'] How did that work out, do you find? I'd guess that it was a pretty great compromise when one doesn't have live circumstances at hand. Haven't tried it yet though. [/quote] What I meant was, the sound of a bass/rig on its own tells you almost nothing about how it will sound in a band. Playing along to recorded music (at volume!) at least gets you some of the way there.

Mrs Axe is currently enjoying the company of one of her sisters, and as I type, they still have not returned from their shopathon. Seizing the opportunity, I set up my recently-acquired SVT 3 Pro atop my BF Compact, and engaged in some not-particularly-serious bass-swapping, knob-twiddling, and button pressing. My aim (loosely) was to work out how to optimise the settings for each bass. Setting up a sound on a bass and rig on its own is pretty much a waste of time unless you actually go out as a solo player, so I put the stereo up loud and played along with the following: David Bowie - Ziggy Stardust Albert King - Born Under A Bad Sign The Animals - The Most Of The Animlas Fortunately it turned out to be quite easy: Bass and treble flat-ish, mid-boost at 220Hz (position 1), graphic off; Gain at 9 for Precision and Sandberg, 6.5 for Mustang and G&L (hot humbuckers); Bright switch engaged for Mustang (for definition) and Sandberg (which is slightly polite otherwise). What else did I learn? - The G&L [i]loves[/i] that Ampeg, but the Sandberg prefers the Genz Benz - The Compact has more treble available than I had realised - The Mustang is a hooligan - I love my basses! EDIT: I take shockingly bad pictures with my phone camera

[quote name='BassTractor' timestamp='1399036868' post='2440306'] In my band (link below) NO band member gets to just play whatever he likes. A song is talked through, and for each tiny segment, we reach agreement about the terms for each individual player. That way, we never have to tell people to play less or more busy or whatever. Each one has their part, and we just put all those parts together. Works a treat, or should I say ...? [/quote] Very good, couldn't help myself and had to follow the link. Oh well, here's a nice picture:

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1399028024' post='2440105'] Yes, it's happening to me now! I'm considering basses, techniques, amps and numbers of strings that I have always dismissed out of hand for the last thirty-odd years! Maybe it's the water, or cosmic rays or something..? [/quote] Time for a tin-foil hat

[quote name='Coilte' timestamp='1399034649' post='2440260'] Interesting thread in that if the shoe was on the other foot, i.e. a guitarist "suggesting" to a bassist what or how he should play (regardless of whether the "suggestion" was warrented or not) lots of people would be up in arms with things like..."tell him where to stuff his suggestion.." and phrases to that effect. [/quote] Actually the OP is at a bit of a loss what to say to the guitarist - the suggestion is that the guitarist should listen and come to his own conclusions. But yeah I see what you mean

[quote name='thefruitfarmer' timestamp='1399034587' post='2440256'] [/quote] Seriously, people forget that the performance of a song is more than just reproducing its constituent parts. Also, if anyone uses Sausage Machine Fallacy as a band name, I want 10% of any money they make.

I own 2 Fender basses and 1 Fender guitar (among others) - does that mean I'm 'hip'? It would be a big improvement over 'predictable'. Anyway, we are prolonging artisan's agony by keeping this thread open

[quote name='lowlandtrees' timestamp='1399012676' post='2439875'] Which high end amps have 2 inputs. Looking at Genz [/quote] Why do you ask?

[quote name='thefruitfarmer' timestamp='1399034031' post='2440244'] ... He is not listening to enough of the type of music. ... What did seem to work was getting him to play with the left hand dampening the strings for a section so he was playing the guitar more like a percussion instrument, then he could hear himself drifting away from the pulse. [/quote] Sounds like he is not listening to the rest of you while he is playing. He may be a victim of the sausage-machine fallacy (bear with me!) i.e. the assumption that if you put all the musical parts into the performance, the song will automatically emerge (like sausages from a machine - see what I dod there?). No, we all need to listen, making micro-adjustments to timing as necessary.